Protecting your home from winter fires

By Brian Shlonsky&nbsp|&nbsp

Posted: Fri 10:51 PM, Jan 11, 2013&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Fri 10:55 PM, Jan 11, 2013

This weekend’s forecast shows temperatures dipping into the teens, which means many of us will be indoors looking to stay warm. But as you get ready to turn on those space heaters or light the fireplace, the fire department has a warning for you.

"Fires, there are good fires and bad fires, the ones that keep us warm are good fires, and the ones that burn down our house are the bad fires," Mike Page with the Grand Junction Fire Department said.

Page said keeping your space heater at least three feet away from anything that can burn, including people, is a good way to prevent a fire.

"When we go to bed at night there's no reason to run those during the night, once we crawl under those covers its a good idea to turn those things off," he said. "We don't like the portable heaters that have fuel in them, any open flame thing in a house creates carbon monoxide."

The fire department said if you plan to burn wood in a traditional fireplace, a good idea to have your chimney inspected every year to make sure the ventilation system isn't blocked.

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